Achebe’s primary purpose of writing the novel is because he wants to educate his readers about the value of his culture as an African. Things Fall Apart provides readers with an insight of Igbo society right before the white missionaries’ invasion on their land.
What is the main message of Things Fall Apart?
The Struggle Between Change and Tradition
As a story about a culture on the verge of change, Things Fall Apart deals with how the prospect and reality of change affect various characters . The tension about whether change should be privileged over tradition often involves questions of personal status.
Why is Things Fall Apart such an important book?
Things Fall Apart is regarded as an important novel and one of the greatest classics of our time. The story chronicles the pre-colonial life in Nigeria and the arrival of the Europeans during the late nineteenth century. The novel interrogates the clash of cultures, traditional values and belief systems .
What can we learn from Things Fall Apart?
One of the most important moral lessons of Things Fall Apart is the danger of what we would now call toxic masculinity . Okonkwo epitomizes this attitude, even though it damages those around him, including members of his own family.
What are the three parts of Things Fall Apart?
The novel Things Fall Apart is divided into three parts, the first is the longest, and the third, the shortest . The first part deals with the vindication of tribal life in Africa and the rise in power and authority of Okonkwo.
What is Okonkwo’s tragic flaw?
Okonkwo is a tragic hero in the classical sense: although he is a superior character, his tragic flaw— the equation of manliness with rashness, anger, and violence —brings about his own destruction.
Is things fall apart a classic?
Things Fall Apart is the first of three novels in Chinua Achebe’s critically acclaimed African Trilogy. It is a classic narrative about Africa’s cataclysmic encounter with Europe as it establishes a colonial presence on the continent.
Why is things fall apart so controversial?
It’s considered an important work in world literature, albeit a controversial one—the book has been banned in some places for its critical portrayal of European colonialism . The book is split into three parts showing the reader the negative effects of colonization on the main characters’ tribe.
What is the conclusion of Things Fall Apart?
The conclusion to Things Fall Apart is that a final confrontation between Igbo religious and cultural life and the new religion of Western missionaries occurs at a traditional ceremony lamenting the suffering of Igbo ancestors, the ancient gods .
What does nwoye fear?
He equates that line to the darkness of some of the village’s customs, such as abandoning babies, and the fear that he himself feels –that he is not masculine enough for his father or that his father will be violent toward him .
How does Okonkwo exile affect him?
Okonkwo’s exile forces him into his motherland . He doesn’t deal well with his misfortune because he is so intent on being as successful and influential as his father was poor and powerless. His initial lack of gratitude toward his mother’s kinsmen is a transgression of Igbo cultural values.
What is the climax of things fall apart?
Climax. The climactic point in the novel arises when, Okonkwo, without his realizing it, shoots a young member of his community and kills him . Though this was an accident, Okonkwo has to abide with the law that deems he should be banished from his village for seven years.
How many parts of things fall apart?
The work is split into three parts , with the first describing his family, personal history, and the customs and society of the Igbo, and the second and third sections introducing the influence of European colonialism and Christian missionaries on Okonkwo, his family, and the wider Igbo community.
Who is Okonkwo’s favorite child?
Ezinma is also Okonkwo’s favorite child, for she understands him better than any of his other children and reminds him of Ekwefi when Ekwefi was the village beauty. Okonkwo rarely demonstrates his affection, however, because he fears that doing so would make him look weak.
Why is Okonkwo a bad person?
He beats his wives and doesn’t have a good handle on his emotions. He is driven by fear , and that leads to destructive behavior, like killing Ikemefuna and disowning his oldest son. Okonkwo holds his children to high standards.
Why was Okonkwo’s start in life so difficult?
Okonkwo’s first year as a farmer was very difficult . ... His first year of farming was difficult because of a drought, a great flood, and because he broke the Week Of Peace.
